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Shootings at Multiple Places Near Tennessee College, Officer Hit

In this image made from video and released by WRCB-TV, authorities work an active shooting scene on amincola highway near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16,
In this image made from video and released by WRCB-TV, authorities work an active shooting scene on amincola highway near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16 / AP
July 16, 2015

By Brendan O'Brien and Suzannah Gonzales

(Reuters) - There have been shootings at multiple places in Chattanooga, including near a U.S. Army Reserve center and a Navy recruiting center in the Tennessee city on Thursday, and a police officer was hit by gunfire, officials and local media reports said.

There have been several shootings at several different locations," said Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman John Harmon. "It's a fluid situation," said Harmon, whose agency was helping local authorities.

"We've got an officer down," Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke told reporters, calling it a "very terrible situation."

The U.S. Navy said it was investigating a report of a shooting at a Navy recruiting center in Chattanooga.

A witness at a glass company near the Navy facility said the area was on lockdown, with the shooting starting at about 11 a.m.

"We have heard multiple shots fired," said Marilyn Hutcheson of Binswanger Glass installation and repair service. "It's very scary ... right now it's a very fluid situation," she said.

Lee University, in Cleveland Tennessee, about 30 miles (50 km) to the northeast, was on lockdown, the school said on its website. It advised people to stay inside until further notice.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Emily Stephenson in Washington; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Jonathan Oatis)